Cindy and Cole : Engagement Portraits
This sweet couple came my way for their wedding pictures with the “big picture” in clear view. They are paying for their own photography because they knew their parents couldn’t support the budget they knew they needed to spend in order to get the best images, and therefore the most vivid memories, they possibly could.
I will say it again and again… Your photos are the key part of your wedding day memories. Even if a million little things didn’t quite go as planned… if you have an awesome photographer that can keep your energy up and catch you in those moments of beautiful happiness, when you look back, you’ll only remember the joy!
Make sure you have someone that will make sure to capture all the little details too… the flowers, the dress, the decor and other significant items you poured your heart into before the big day. Once the big day is over, most of that is gone, or boxed up.
I’m happy to say that my brides get amazing proof books and boxes to show off their images to their family and friends… as well as slideshows to pop into the tv at the next family holiday and relive the happy memories in a very easy way, together!
They also get UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL storybook albums that they proudly display on their coffee tables for years to come… they don’t just get “shoved on a shelf” like so many people claim to do with theirs.
Here’s the start of my journey with Cindy and Cole toward their wedding day and beyond. They are adorable and totally cherish their days together as Cole is in the Marines and currently stationed in California.
God bless him for the sacrifices he and his fellow servicemen make every day to keep our country protected from harm.
Enjoy!
Becca
Christine + Jeff : A Love Story Session
Happy Monday to all my blog readers out there! I’m sharing some images from a fall session I photographed for the parents of one of my ’12 seniors, Lila. Her parents have been together for a looong time! I want to say 20 years? If I remember right. (Sorry, it’s been a few months since I heard the story, so Christine, feel free to comment if I get something wrong.)
They had Lila together, their only child, and just have been “non-traditional” in the whole “marriage thing”. I’m guessing that kept the spark going… calling someone your boyfriend, significant other, etc. is a little more “fun and young” in my opinion… but there is definitely comfort and a nice ring to the words “husband and wife” if you ask me. 😉
It’s not my place to judge anyone’s life decisions, and you shouldn’t either because it seemed to work just fine for them! But I’m happy to announce that they finally decided to “get hitched!” Of course, they went “non-traditional” with a mid-week wedding and Christine wore the chic light blue lace sheath and Jeff, the linen suit you see below.
I adored working with them and if you scroll down and see the images from the session we captured of Christine and Jeff, you can definitely see they still have that spark, even after tying the knot!
Enjoy!
Becca
Engagement Portraits : Sylvara-Petersburg
I’m sharing a few portraits this morning from a recent engagement session I photographed for a couple from Clear Lake, IA.
The bride had heard about me through friends at work (she’s a nurse at Mercy) and the groom was in a wedding I photographed last summer.
Once I heard that, I was like… “Oh, well, you’ve seen me in action, you’ve spoken directly with my past customers, this should be a no-brainer!” LOL! Right?! Like I would ever say that. (Well, I thought it anyway.) 😉
At first they decided maybe it was a little beyond their budget to go with me as their wedding photographer and booked with someone else. But after an unfortunate experience with that person, it wasn’t long until they contacted me again.
This time they were convinced the old adage, “you get what you pay for” was indeed true and sometimes you need to just go for it and invest more than you had originally planned, but if you know you will be happier in the end, you’re much better off.
I know they will be thrilled with these great, relaxed portraits. Don’t they look so in love???
They also brought their baby, Lia. She’s a chocolate lab and a very sweet dog. I love this image of them with her.
I can’t wait for their wedding coming up in July!
Enjoy!
Becca
Jacque and Mitchell : Engagement Session
I just love taking engagement photos! Two adults, in love… they are just the perfect subjects! They take directions well, easy to tease a smile from, and they are just so gosh darn happy when they walk out the door. LOVE IT!
I am sharing my latest engagement session today. It’s a great couple from Rudd, IA. Jacque and Mitchell. Aren’t they adorable! I am jealous of Jacque’s long blonde hair and thin figure!!! And to top it off, she’s super nice. How fair is that??? 🙂 LOL!
I was just getting to know Mitchell, so I don’t have as much to say about him other than he’s a farmer and I know I like farmers. (My dad is a farmer, my brother, and uncle are all farmers… and lots of the best, most generous people I know are farmers)
I also enjoyed getting to use some of the new backgrounds I have available to me at the location we’re renting for the duration of our home-building process. It’s an amazing spot! And I have so many more ideas in store!
Enjoy!
Becca
Stacie and Casey : Engagement Session
This attractive young lady is someone I am really excited to see get engaged! I used to babysit Stacie back when I was in high school. I was honored when she told me I was the first person she thought of for pictures. (And she actually emailed me the same day he proposed I think!) LOL!
I had a great time getting to know her fiancee, Casey. He seems like a responsible guy that has a lot of the same interests as Stacie. Namely farming.
When asked what he first noticed/liked about Stacie, he replied, “I liked that she liked tractors.” Awwww! And Stacie has been actively farming with her parents for a while now, taking after her mom, I guess. (I remember seeing her mom in the tractor about as much as her dad.)
To add a more personal touch to their portraits, they brought some red/green tractor brand sweatshirts and some toy tractors to create some more fun images. I was racking my brain trying to come up with something cool. So I had them lay on their stomachs, facing each other, playing with the tractors… can’t you just hear them making the “Vrroom, vroom” sounds?
Love it!
And, I had this idea to make the heart shape with their tractors and some sidewalk chalk to help pull it all together. Any of these would be really fun for save-the-dates!
Enjoy!
Becca
P.S. The song “John Deere Green” by Joe Diffie kept playing over and over in my head as I was proofing this session. If you don’t know the song, look it up. 🙂
“On a hot summer night, He wrote Billy Bob loves Charlene, In letters 3 foot high, And the whole town said that he should have used red, But it looked good to Charlene, In John Deere green…”
Surprises for Tomorrow’s Wedding Show!
That’s right! Tomorrow’s the BIG DAY! For over a hundred brides that is! (Who have pre-registered for Formalities “A Day to Remember” Bridal Expo).
Actually, last I knew the pre-registered number was more like 125… so that’s going to be a GREAT crowd! I love, love, looove talking to brides!
They are so full of happiness and lots of amazing ideas… and brimming with the hope that they can find all the amazing vendors they need to make their dreams come true.
ENTER Becca… That’s right. I’m a dream-maker, baby!
Not to be humble or anything, but I feel like I’ve done a pretty darn good job of capturing wedding memories for close to seventy brides over the last seven years.
If you need the references to prove it, I’d be happy to share!
Okay, okay, enough of this cockiness (although it’s all true!) That’s not really what I’m like. I’m actually almost detrimentally modest, and not usually the best at tooting my own horn. So I hope I do well tomorrow, trying to self-promote.
Hopefully the “right” brides will fall in love with me and if they weren’t sure I was creative enough for them before, they will be certain to know once I hand them one of my adorable goodie bags!
(I apologize the pictures are just from my point and shoot)
Aren’t they sweet? I’m proud of all the hard work I’ve put into them.
I have been spending plenty of my spare time on Pinterest lately and it just has me in such a creative spirit! (If you haven’t checked it out yet, you MUST! Especially if you’re a bride!)
I can explain more about Pinterest in a future post, but for now… ENJOY these sweet creations! (Totally my own original idea)
Becca
Jill & Brent : Engagement Portrait Session
When you are engaged, it is such a special time. It has this fleeting quality to it. You have set a wedding date, there is a time limit on how long you get to use that special word, Fiancée, for your loved one.
I remember using the word, fiancée. It felt so fancy, maybe even a touch pretentious, to use it. It was almost a little embarrassing to say because it was telling the other person something very intimate… that you’ve chosen this person to commit to for the rest of your life … you hadn’t done it yet and it was exciting and scary all at the same time to admit that you’re taking this huge leap of faith.
And so, I always relish the engagement sessions. I guess I will always be a hopeless romantic. And I always say, engagement sessions have all the romance of the wedding without all the stress of the wedding day.
I loved working with Jill and Brent. Jill, is, I must say, totally adorable. She loves, loves, loves my photography already and I just met her in person for the first time at the session… so she had me at the word “Hello.”
As for Brent, it took a little bit longer for me to get my “read” on him, but after watching him with Jill I can definitely see how they were made for each other.
I am excited to share these portraits also because I got to use my new porch, officially, for the first time. What do you think?
Enjoy!
Becca
Rebecca Lynne Photography : Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota's Best Photographer! 